Besar
by Jeune Ecrivain
Summary: Former oneshot extended due to good reviews. On the cusp of a relationship, Troy and Gabriela find something unexpected that they have in common and use it to further their fledgling singing careers.
1. Uno: Puede Comprender

**Besar**

**By Jeune Ecrivain**

**Rating: K+**

**Summary: (another first-kiss fic) When Mrs. Montez invites Troy over for dinner after the triple-victory, Gabriela finds out something about Troy that he neglected to mention before. Major Troyela!**

**A/N: The title is a Spanish verb meaning "to kiss."**

"Thanks for having me over, Mrs. Montez," said Troy Bolton as he took a seat at the dining room table to which his close friend Gabriela and her mother had led him after a few minutes of casual conversation. "The after-party was great, but sometimes it's nice to celebrate in a less…noisy…way."

Consuela Montez chuckled. "Gabriela's like that too. Even in parties that are s'posed to be more active, she usually ends up sitting by herself with her nose in a book," she remarked, throwing a teasing glance at her daughter. "Even at that New Years Party, I had to pull a book away from her to get her to go to the teen bash they were having."

"Well, I'm awful glad you did," Troy replied, grinning. "I never would've met her if you hadn't, and all the exciting stuff that we've done over the past couple of weeks, especially what we just pulled off today, never would've happened."

"I know," Gabriela said, dishing herself some of her mother's famous grilled chicken. "I still can't believe that you guys won the basketball championship, my team won the scholastic decathlon, and then, to top it all off, we got the lead parts in the school musical!"

"Let's not forget Chad and Taylor hooking up!" Troy reminded her, taking a helping of his own and passing the chicken on to Mrs. Montez with a grateful nod. "I don't think any of us saw that coming."

Gabriela giggled. "Think about it. It took them both not wanting us to get involved in singing for them to form some sort of clique-alliance long enough for them to really notice each other. It's kind of cute…in a twisted sort of way."

Troy chuckled, and Gabriela's mother smiled fondly. "I'm just glad Gabriela's making friends here. She just moved here, after all, and she tends to be a little shy." Her gaze turned specifically on Troy for a moment. "And you, Troy! I don't know what you did, but Gabriela never had the courage to do what she did onstage tonight until she met you!"

Troy blushed slightly. "I really didn't do anything, Mrs. Montez."

The older woman responded with a knowing smile. "Well, at any rate, you've made Gabriela's first few weeks in Alburquerque happy ones. I'm glad she has you as a friend." She took a brief sip of water. "…_O tal vez un novio_," she added, glancing at her daughter pointedly.

Gabriela's jaw dropped slightly at her mother's words, and she smiled despite herself as she felt a small blush creep into her cheeks. "_Mamí_," she protested, "_¡no es así! Somos sólo amigos._"

"_¡__Oh, por favor, m'hija! -¿A quién tratas de engañar?_" scoffed Mrs. Montez. "_Vi como lo mirabas cuando Ustedes cantaban juntos. Eso era la mirada del amor._"

Gabriela's blush deepened, but she couldn't stop her sheepish smile from spreading as she came to realize her mother was right. She had never really stopped to think about her feelings for Troy. But now that her mother had brought it up, she new she couldn't deny that there was something there that didn't quite fit under the "friendship" heading. In fact, she was suddenly reminded of something that had been in the back of her mind since the end of the championship game. "_Creo que casi besamos una vez_," she admitted with a somewhat bashful grin, her cheeks reddening even further.

"_¡Lo sabía!_" her mother declared triumphantly.

"_Pero su amigo Chad nos interrumpió_," added Gabriela quickly, not wanting her mother to get too excited. "_Si sólo hubiera venido un momentito más tarde…_" she amended wistfully.

"_¡__Ay, deberías haberle torcido el cuello!_"

Gabriela laughed and instinctively turned to Troy to share in her enjoyment. He grinned back at her, and she suddenly realized that Troy had been left out of the conversation for a few moments. "Oops!" she said. "I'm sorry, Troy. You probably didn't understand a word we were saying. I promise: from this moment on, English only," she said, chuckling nervously.

Troy opened his mouth to respond, but decided to just chuckle back and say, "That's okay. It's kinda cool that you can talk Spanish with your mom. It's fun to listen to."

Gabriela giggled softly, inwardly marveling at how sweet Troy was.

-----HSMHSMHSM-----

INTERMISSION/TRANSLATION:

Mrs. Montez: …Or maybe a boyfriend.

Gabriela: Mom, it's not like that! We're just friends.

Mrs. Montez: Oh, please, _m'hija_! Who're you trying to fool? I saw the way you were looking at him when you were singing together. That was the look of love.

Gabriela: I think we almost kissed one time.

Mrs. Montez: I knew it!

Gabriela: But his friend Chad interrupted us. If only he'd come just a moment later…

Mrs. Montez: _Ay_, you should've wrung his neck!

-----HSMHSMHSM-----

Later that night, Troy and Gabriela were reveling in the day's events and sharing their contentedness with each other as they looked out at the twilight sky from her balcony. Troy, however, seemed a little distracted, even slightly dreamy at times. He fiddled with his hands as they rested on the railing. When Gabriela had finally noticed this, she looked at him with curiosity and concern in her eyes. "Something on your mind, Troy?" she asked softly.

A trace if nervousness accented Troy's smile as he decided that now was as good a time as any. "Both my parents work at East High, not just my dad. Did you know that?"

"No," Gabriela said. "That must be interesting."

Troy gave her a crooked grin. "Yeah, well, you know how being the coach's son kind of makes me inclined to do really well at basketball?"

"Yeah…" replied Gabriela, hoping the pressure wasn't worse than she thought and too much for Troy to handle.

"Well, my mom's a lot gentler about it, but she still makes sure I do especially well in the area that she teaches at school. It's actually kind of fun sometimes. Gives us something to bond over. Like with my dad and basketball, although she at least seems to be aware that I have other classes."

She giggled at his last remark. "That's nice, Troy. It's really cool that you have something like that with your mom."

"Yeah," Troy nodded, stepping closer to her.

"So, what does she teach?" asked Gabriela.

He didn't answer, but instead stepped still closer to her and touched her cheek with his hand. Her eyes displayed a mix of curiosity and pleasure. Troy smiled warmly at her and, taking his mind off the slight nervousness he felt, softly brought his lips to hers. She stiffened in surprise for a moment, but she was soon at ease again as she returned the kiss. They proceeded cautiously, testing the proverbial waters, before they broke apart.

"She's a Spanish teacher," Troy almost whispered as he pulled away slowly.

It took a split second for her to process what he'd said. Her eyes widened, and Troy stifled a laugh at her expression. "You mean you…" she trailed off.

Troy smirked at her good-naturedly as he nodded. "You're mom's right," he said. "I don't know about you, but I wanted to wring Chad's neck when he gave me the game ball!"

Her shocked stare quickly turned into a glare. "You could've told me that before!" she said indignantly, emphasizing the point with a playful shove.

"It never came up!" he said defensively.

She closed what little distance there was between them. "You're bad, Troy Bolton!" she said.

"Maybe," he shrugged, grabbing her waist and pulling her even closer. "But apparently, I'm also one heck of a singer."

She looked up at his self-satisfied smile, and she couldn't help but smile back. She could never stay mad at him even in jest. She then grew serious, and she swallowed before asking the question that was on her mind. "So you did want to kiss me at the game?"

He looked at her with sincerity in his eyes. "I did," he said. "I really did. You mean a lot to me, Gabriela. At that moment, I was just really glad to have met you. I still am."

Gabriela blushed profusely. "I'm really glad I met you too," she replied, looking into his eyes and hardly noticing that her arms had instinctively wound up around his neck, just as his were encircled around her slim waist.

Troy leaned in to kiss her again, and Gabriela happily obliged. This time, she parted her lips to deepen the kiss, and Troy followed suit. They parted only a millimeter before immediately initiating another kiss. As it grew more passionate, their last coherent thoughts were of the now-ironic circumstances of their first meeting. They didn't know it then, but it truly was the start of something new.


	2. Dos: Palabras Incantables

**Besar**

**By Jeune Ecrivain**

**Rating: K+**

**Summary: Former one-shot extended due to good reviews. On the cusp of a relationship, Troy and Gabriela find something unexpected that they have in common and use it to further their fledgling singing careers.**

**A/N: Foreign languages and linguistics are my passion. I have at least a decent command of Spanish, French, Italian, and Latin. I hope I didn't get too carried away in this chapter, but I think you'll be able to see where I'm going with this…and you'll probably like it. Song translation is a hobby of mine (I am such a geek), and the translation you see here was done by yours truly : )**

_Si crees en la magia dentro del corazón,  
Siempre puede librarte alguna canción.  
Es la magia, si la música hace  
Que te sientas muy feliz y te satisface._

The next day, Troy listened along with the rest of his Spanish IV class to the song his mother/teacher had brought in on a CD. It was the familiar tune of "Do You Believe in Magic," but the singer complemented the lively melody with new words. Reading over the Spanish lyrics his mom had passed out, he was reminded of the previous night's dinner with the Montezes. A fond smile formed on his lips, and he chuckled quietly to himself as the song continued.

When the song ended, Mrs. Bolton turned off the stereo and faced the class. "_Ahora,__clase_, I want you to look at the lyrics I handed out and compare them to the translation I gave you to do on Monday," she said, referring to the assignment she had given the class two days ago: to translate the English lyrics to Do You Believe in Magic. After giving her students (at least the ones who'd remembered to do the assignment) a moment to look back and forth between the two sheets of paper they had in front of them, she proceeded. "Big difference, isn't there?" Mrs. Bolton was quickly greeted with murmurs of agreement. "Can anyone give me a literal translation of the Spanish lyrics I gave you?"

After a few moments of uncertainty, Troy raised his hand along with a few other members of the class. "Taylor," his mother prompted after having scanned the class. Troy put his hand down. His mother had undoubtedly seen his hand, and she knew his grasp of the Spanish language was better than most. Yet he understood why she hadn't called on him. Mrs. Bolton had made it clear long ago that she would always try to avoid the appearance of special treatment towards the one student that she saw at home as well as one the job. Troy actually appreciated this, and was quite accustomed to being called on with little more than random probability.

Taylor looked at the text before her and translated slowly:

_If you believe in magic inside the heart,  
Any song can always free you.  
It's magic if the music makes  
You feel very happy and satisfies you._

"_Muchas gracias, Telora. Muy bien_," replied Mrs. Bolton, using the synthetic Hispanicized form of Taylor's name. "That is what the Spanish lyrics say, but that's not how the original lyrics go. Not to mention it sounds kind of awkward if you translate the Spanish back into English," she stated, pausing tactfully to make her students think. "Why?" she then asked plainly. She paused again to give her students a moment to ponder, and then this time, her eyes fell directly on her son. "Troy,…why don't you use that until-recently-hidden talent of yours to show us what your translation would sound like if you were to sing it."

Troy looked around, not having expected this, but a few moderate cheers from his classmates brought him to his feet, and he sang his own translation of the well-known lyrics.

_¿Crees en la magia en el corazón de una niña,  
Como la música la puede libertar cuando comienza?  
Y es la magia, si la música es estupenda.  
Hace que te sientas alegre como una película anticuada._

Troy did his best, but even with his voice, the song sounded awkward, imbalanced, and really off-beat. The lines were too long, and the syllables didn't match up with the beat of the music. He had to compress and slur a few blocks of words in order to make it work, and even then it was all too obvious what he had done.

Mrs. Bolton smiled and gestured for him to sit down, which he did. "What just happened there?" she inquired, challenging the class. "Most of you have heard Troy sing, so we know it's not him." At this, Troy blushed slightly. "But the song just didn't sound right," she observed. "Yet Troy's translation was quite faithful to the original lyrics."

"The lines are too long," Troy realized aloud.

Mrs. Bolton's head turned quickly back to her son, and Troy could tell he had hit on something that she was aiming for. "Why is that, Troy?" she asked, making full use of the Socratic method.

"Well,…" Troy said, looking over his translation and running through the original lyrics in his head. "The word 'heart,' for example, is only one syllable. But '_corazón_' is three. So when you translate it, the syllables get all out of place because some of the words are longer or shorter than they are in English."

"_Exactamente. Muy bien, Troyo_," Mrs. Bolton said. "Not only that, but something else about the words changes. Take a good look at the last two lines," she instructed. "'And it's magic, if the music is groovy / It makes you feel happy like an old-time movie,'" she recited slowly. What happens with the last word in each line?"

A hand shot up. "Ryan," Mrs. Bolton identified the male Evans twin.

"They rhyme," said Ryan as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "'Groovy.' 'Movie.'"

"_¡Excelente!_" exclaimed the teacher. "But _estupenda _and _anticuada_ don't really rhyme quite as much, do they?"

She was then greeted with murmurs of negation from the students.

"That's the problem!" Troy's mother diagnosed. "If you translate a song word for word into another language, it's not singable. It doesn't rhyme. It doesn't fit the music. That's why you have the other translation, the one I passed out, where the words are not really a direct translation, but they're compatible with the song's melody and rhythm."

"There's still a lot of similarity here," observed Taylor, looking at the translation that was sung on the CD. "Both versions talk about magic inside a heart. They both mention music making you feel happy."

"That's my point," said Mrs. Bolton. "There are two types of song and poetry translations," she began to lecture. "There are literal translations, which are good for telling foreigners exactly what the song says. Those ones can rarely if ever be put to music like the original. Then there are 'singable' translations, or for those of you who are more vocabulary-minded, _pro canendo_ translations." By now, she was weaving in between desks, as was her habit whenever she launched into a lecture. "The first kind is easy. Anyone with a couple of years of college Spanish and a good dictionary can do it. But _pro canendo_ translations are what make song translation something of an art in and of itself. You have two often conflicting forces, meaning and music, that you have to make cooperate with each other somehow. A song translator has to stay as faithful to the original lyrics as he can while coming up with new lyrics that rhyme and fall in step with the beat of the music. It's a balancing act. It involves a lot of paraphrasing and figuring out the essentials of the song's meaning so you can find a way to express it in words that fit the melody and also rhyme wherever they're s'posed to. Different translators may sacrifice a little more on one side in favor of the other, but their goal is usually to come up with a singable translation that at least bears a decent resemblance to the meaning of the original."

At this moment, the bell rang, and the class was promptly abuzz as students shoved textbooks and notebooks into bookbags and slung them over their shoulders. Troy gathered his things and stood up to leave, pondering what his mother had said more than usual. It never would've occurred to him that song translation could be more complicated than simple prose transliteration, and yet everything his mom had said made perfect sense now that she'd mentioned it and got him thinking about it. He was mildly amused that the day's Spanish class held some special relevance to his blossoming talent as a singer. The thought occurred to him that Gabriela might find it interesting as well, and he quickened his gait in anticipation of seeing her again and sharing the days events with her. That train of thought in turn reminded him abruptly that, unless he was severely misreading Gabriela's signals, especially the night before, she was now something more than a friend to him. A grin spreading across his face, he hurried off to find his new girlfriend.


	3. Tres: Nuevas Reglas

**Besar**

**By Jeune Ecrivain**

**Rating: K+**

**Summary: Former one-shot extended due to good reviews. On the cusp of a relationship, Troy and Gabriela find something unexpected that they have in common and use it to further their fledgling singing careers.**

Soon enough, Troy found Gabriela shuffling books around in her locker. He smiled as he approached her, watching her rearrange her things almost with an artist's eye. He inwardly wondered if anyone else could pull off looking cute doing such a mundane activity. "So," he said, leaning against the locker beside hers, "I had a really good time last night."

Her response was a small, playful smile. "You know, I told my mother what you did, you sneak," she said.

"Oh, did you," he said, playing along. "What'd she say?"

"Something about how great it is for a 'young, full-blooded American' to have a good enough command of Spanish to have understood what we said," she answered. "She was too busy being impressed to notice how you let us keep talking, pretending to be clueless, so you could hear me pour my heart out about you," she added with mock irritation. "I, however, won't be so keen on forgiving your sneakiness."

"Is that so?" Troy challenged, stepping closer to her. "Well, I don't see what you have to be so mad about. After all, I, for one, went home and actually thanked my Mom for having made me good at Spanish." His voice grew sincere. "Because if she hadn't, I wouldn't have found out that you felt the same way I did."

Her mock anger melted, and she smiled at him sweetly.

"My mom was thoroughly confused, of course, but that just made the night even more fun in addition to being…" He sighed. "…really fulfilling.

Gabriela giggled. "I'm glad it happened, too," she said warmly.

Troy tentatively slipped his arms around her waist. "So, just to be clear,…" he said, a trace of nervousness in his voice, "we're not 'just friends' anymore, are we?"

She blushed and slipped her own arms around his neck. "Are you asking me to be your girlfriend, Troy?" she said softly.

"Well, yeah," he answered. "Although, 'girlfriend' doesn't really do justice to what you mean to me. There are so many bad boyfriends out there who have really cheapened the word, and…"

"_Cállate y bésame_," ("Shut up and kiss me") Gabriela interrupted.

Troy grinned and leaned in to oblige her. Their lips were just about to touch when Chad appeared seemingly out of nowhere, followed closely by Taylor, Jason, and Kelsi. "Hey, Captain!" he said. "That was some after party last night, wasn't it,"

Troy turned to his friend with a sarcastic smile on his face and slung his arm casually around his shoulders. "Chad, we need to talk," he said. "You see, there's this thing called 'timing,' and you really need to work on yours."

Chad blinked, and Taylor rolled her eyes at him before rounding on Troy and Gabriela. "Oh, I think they were about to kiss!" she said, her voice rising substantially in pitch towards the end of her sentence as she looked at Gabriela hopefully.

Gabriela blushed again, but she recovered quickly and grinned cleverly. "Can't a girl kiss her boyfriend anymore?" she said pointedly, taking Troy's hand in hers.

Taylor squealed, and Kelsi muttered "Finally." Chad, however, wasn't quite so happy. "Aw, man," he blurted.

Troy turned to face Chad, taken aback by his response, but as he promptly found his best friend handing a crisp $10 bill to a triumphant Taylor, that was all the explanation he needed. He rolled his eyes in amused shock. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me!"

"You guys bet on whether or not we'd get together!" Gabriela said with a gasp.

"Of course not!" Taylor said indignantly, as if offended by the charge. "We bet on WHEN you would get together," she clarified. "Chad gave you guys two whole months."

"Unbelievable," Troy shook his head. "You guys are bad."

"You guys," Kelsi interrupted her friends' raillery, "I hate to spoil the mood, but I came looking for you for a reason," she stated, referring to Troy and Gabriela. "Ryan and Sharpay are at it again."

This caught everyone's attention. "What's up?" Troy asked.

"Apparently, Sharpay's determined that Twinkle Towne will be the only time she takes a bow to newcomers. She's convinced the Drama Club to pass some new rules. No one can star in more than one school production without being inducted into the club, of which she conveniently happens to be co-president," reported Kelsi distastefully. "And, as an added bonus, any hopeful members must now have had at least one diction class."

"Diction class?" Gabriela repeated.

"It's a foreign language class that most aspiring actors or singers have to take sometime during their education. It doesn't really teach the language, just how to pronounce everything, so if they ever have a job that requires them to sing in another language, they can pull it off."

"Oh, geez," Taylor said with a roll of her eyes. "I'll bet the classically-trained Evans twins have had several diction classes."

"You guessed it," Kelsi said with an exasperated sigh. "So, basically, if you guys want to keep performing for East High, which I really hope you do 'cause you guys are so great, we might have to do something drastic…again."

"Well, Gabriela and I both know Spanish," said Troy. "Doesn't that count for something?"

"It should," Gabriela said. "I mean, we don't just pronounce it. We actually know what we're saying when we speak it." She threw a pointed smile at Troy, who responded with a playful smirk.

Kelsi's eyes brightened. "There is one way. If you can show that you're good enough at singing in Spanish, Mrs. Darbus is willing to forget the actual class requirement. But Drama Club applications are this week, and you guys'll have to prepare some sort of skit or something to show that you can sing in Spanish."

"That's awful short notice," Taylor remarked. "How are you guys gonna learn a whole Spanish song in just a few days? I mean, you're both wonderful singers, but it's going to take a little more than raw talent to get past Sharpay's roadblocks. It's going to take preparation."

"Unless it wasn't really a new song," Troy thought aloud.

"What do you mean?" Gabriela asked curiously.

Troy swallowed, wondering if he was crazy for even trying this, but something inside him was spurring him on, and following his gut had served him quite well before. Case in point: Gabriela. He smiled at her, encouraged by her thoughtful gaze. "I have an idea."


	4. Cuatro: Lo Que Buscaba Yo

**Besar**

**By Jeune Ecrivain**

**Rating: K+**

**Summary: Former one-shot extended due to good reviews. On the cusp of a relationship, Troy and Gabriela find something unexpected that they have in common and use it to further their fledgling singing careers.**

**A/N: This is it, the chapter that contains a complete Spanish version of an HSM song! Monica7725, you've been so complimentary of my work so far, I'm a little nervous. I hope this translation lives up to the hype. If not, let me know so I can improve it. I take constructive criticism really well. Anyway, here goes…**

"Hey," Troy greeted with a smile as he opened the door to Gabriela and Kelsi, "c'mon in. Thanks for coming."

Gabriela stepped into the house and kicked off her shoes. Kelsi followed behind her and did the same. "Hey, I'm just anxious to hear what your plan is," said the former. "I'm kind of excited."

"Me too," Kelsi supplemented. "I want to see you throw Ryan and Sharpay's plans right back in their faces!"

Troy laughed. "Well, don't get too excited. After all, I think this is going to take some real thought and wordplay, at least for me and Gabi."

Gabriela's interest was peaked. "What do you have in mind?"

"Well, it's kind of funny how things worked out, because we did something rather interesting in Spanish class." Troy went on to describe the events that had transpired in his mother's classroom that day and the intriguing ideas she had introduced to the class. "So,…" he concluded, "…what do you say you and I put our heads together and give this _pro canendo_ thing a shot?"

Gabriela smiled in much the same way as she had when she, Troy, and their other friends had piled their hands together to initiate their first conspiracy to foil the Evans' plans. "Let's do it," she said.

Troy nodded. "Kelsi, I talked my dad into hauling our old piano out of the attic. Did you bring all your music?"

Kelsi nodded proudly, indicating the small bookbag she had slung over her shoulder. "Got it right here."

"Great," Troy said. "Let's get to work. Too bad my Mom had to step out for the evening. She maybe could've helped us. But I think we'll manage okay without her."

For the next couple of hours, Kelsi sat at the piano while Troy and Gabriela translated, paraphrased, rewrote, and compromised. Whenever Kelsi wasn't playing certain pieces of the song they had chosen as directed by the two young songbirds to help them test for musical-lyrical compatibility, she watched them in interest as one of them sat on the couch with a notepad, scribbling tentative lyrics and then crossing some out as the other paced across the floor, humming certain parts of the melody or singing softly as they experimented with different words and syntactical arrangements. Which one did which varied from time to time, and there were a few instances in which they were both standing next to the piano as they tried out their latest attempt at a particularly stubborn section of verse. They took a rather playful break about halfway through as they crumpled up pages of discarded lyrics and chucked them at each other. Kelsi's neutrality was brought to an abrupt halt when she had to duck to avoid a stray paper wad.

Towards the end of the evening, their excitement grew as the Spanish lyrics they were writing finally seemed to fall into place. Meanwhile, Kelsi marveled not only at their shared knowledge of Spanish but also at how well they interacted with each other. She knew there was no such thing as an absolutely perfect couple, but Troy and Gabriela were about as close to it as was humanly possible. Kelsi silently wished that one day she would find a boy who would be for her what Troy was for Gabriela.

"Alright, Kelsi," Troy said after a few hours of hard work. "I think we just may have it here. Take it from the top, playmaker."

Kelsi obliged with a smile. Troy and Gabriela positioned themselves beside the piano as the opening notes of "What I've Been Looking For" filled the room. Troy set the page containing their new lyrics next to Kelsi's sheet music and, at the right moment, started to sing.

_No puedo creer  
Que no logré ver  
Que estabas a mi lado._

Gabriela then joined in.

_Pues mi soledad  
No era verdad.  
Siempre estabas a mi lado._

Their voices then blended with a harmony that made Kelsi smile with pride.

_¡Qué raro sentimiento!  
Tú debes saber  
Que como nadie más _  
_ Ya me conoces tú,  
-¡Y sólo tú!-  
Que como nadie más _  
_ Me reconfortas tú  
-¡Y eres tú!-_

_Por fin sucedió.  
Sé que hoy hallé  
Lo que buscaba yo_

Although they were singing it the same way they had on the empty stage at East High, this time they sang both verses and the second chorus.

_GABRIELA  
Hoy me puedo oír,  
Hoy me puedo ver,  
Y es un gran placer._

_TROY  
Tan perdido ayer,  
Hoy me encontré.  
¿Cómo te agradeceré?_

_BOTH  
¡Qué raro sentimiento!  
Tú debes saber  
Que como nadie más _  
_ Ya me conoces tú,  
-¡Y sólo tú!-  
Que como nadie más _  
_ Me reconfortas tú  
-¡Y eres tú!-_

_Por fin sucedió.  
Sé que hoy hallé  
Lo que buscaba yo_

As Kelsi played the last dwindling notes, Troy and Gabriela looked at each other, somewhat in awe of what they had done. "Kelsi, be honest…" Troy said. "Did that really sound as good as it did in our heads?"

"Are you kidding? That was amazing!" replied Kelsi. "Could you guys BE any more talented?"

Troy chuckled as Gabriela blushed. "Look who's talking, Miss Composer," Troy shot back. "I'm just glad I discovered whatever talent I may have in the performing arts," he admitted, turning to Gabriela. "But not quite as glad as I am that I met you."

"Right back at you," Gabriela replied with a sweet smile.

Kelsi rolled her eyes, although an amused smile betrayed her. "Do the words 'get a room' mean anything to you?"


	5. Cinco: No Hay Doble L

**Besar**

**By Jeune Ecrivain**

**Rating: K+**

**Summary: Former one-shot extended due to good reviews. On the cusp of a relationship, Troy and Gabriela find something unexpected that they have in common and use it to further their fledgling singing careers. **

**WARNING: Major fluff!**

**A/N: This chapter refers humorously to the fact that a double-'l' is pronounced like a 'y' in Spanish (e.g. _llama_ "yama").**

"You know, I should've at least suspected you knew some Spanish when I first met you."

Troy cocked an eyebrow at Gabriela. Kelsi had departed a short while ago, and they were now in Troy's room conversing lightly. "How's that?" he asked, curiosity coloring his tone.

"When you typed my name into your cell phone at New Years, you spelled it with one 'l,'" she answered.

Troy's eyes widened in surprise, and he chuckled in amusement. "You remember that little detail? No wonder you're so smart!" he teased.

She gave him a playful shove. "I only remembered it because it was so surprising. You were the only person I can remember who spelled it right on the first try. I can't tell you how many times I've had to tell someone it's just one 'l' and not two."

"Well, it was just a guess," Troy shrugged. "You looked Latina, and when you said your last name that one time, it sounded very Hispanic. So, I figured your name was completely Spanish, which meant it was probably only spelled with one 'l.' I figured you'd correct me later if I turned out to be wrong."

"Exactly my point," stated Gabriela. "Someone who didn't at least know something about Spanish wouldn't have been able to figure out that a double-l doesn't belong in my name."

He smiled. "What can I say? You're not 'Gabrieya.' You're Gabriela." His expression then became one of warmth. "A beautiful name for a beautiful girl."

She blushed and smirked at him. "You know, Troy, if you want to make out, you could just say so."

Troy laughed, amusedly taken aback by her bluntness. "I mean it, though!" he protested.

"I'm sure you do, but saying it right on the heels of the whole 'glad I met you' thing….Let's just say I get the picture," she stated with an impishly smug grin on her face.

"Alright, you got me this time," Troy confessed, smiling at her in admiration of her acuteness. "But I hope you don't think I say these things just because I'm looking for some action, I mean…"

Gabriela cut him off by kissing him gently yet firmly on the lips, and he immediately started kissing her back. A sensation of great comfort and security washed over Gabriela as Troy's arms slipped around her waist, and she wrapped her own around his neck to complete the feeling. Troy tightened his grip gently, holding her as close as he could as he took in the pleasure of her proximity. Breaking apart momentarily, Troy gathered her up in his arms and lifted her off her feet. Gabriela gave him a small, child-like smile before initiating another, deeper kiss. Still kissing her, Troy began moving around the room slowly, vaguely looking for something on which to set her down. In his blind search, his heels met the rear end of his bed, and he promptly lost his balance. Gabriela let out a yelp of surprise as the two fell onto the mattress. After landing on top of him, she wasted little time in adjusting to her new position before teasing his lips with her own until he couldn't take it anymore and captured them completely. She moaned softly, and the two continued to kiss with affection and passion.

"You know,…you're the...only guy…I don't feel…at all…awkward…about…doing this…with," Gabriela said somewhat huskily between kisses. "I'm…usually…quite shy."

"You…could've…fooled me," Troy said, rubbing her back as he kissed her. "I've never…been this… close…to a girl…before."

They fell silent again as they continued, each one getting simultaneous thrill and comfort from the other's touch. After about half an hour, they found themselves lying on Troy's bed silently, content in each other's arms. Gabriela rested her head and upper arm on Troy's chest while he stroked her back gently. She sighed softly, and Troy looked down at her and inwardly declared himself a very lucky man. "You know," Gabriela said quietly, "when my Mom told me we were moving here, I never would've thought I'd get this close to someone so quickly." She raised her head to look into his eyes. "But there's just something about you. I can't describe it exactly. You make me feel like I'll always have someone to lean on."

Troy smiled warmly at her. "That's 'cause you always will," he said. "What you said goes both ways. You're something special, Gabi, and I've never felt like this about anyone before I met you. I know that sounds kind of cheesy, but that's the best way I can think of to describe it." He reached up and stroked her cheek with his hands. Then, he swallowed, and decided to take a dive. Had it been any other girl, he would've been nowhere near ready to utter these words. But his gut told him it was right, so he gave her a small smile and said two simple words. "_Te amo_."

Gabriela looked at him, in awe of the sincerity that shone in his eyes. She smiled brightly as a few stray tears slipped out of her eyes and slid down her face. "_Te amo a ti también_."

**A/N: In case you didn't catch on, "Te amo" means "I love you," and Gabriela responded with "I love you, too."****About the spelling of Gabriela's name, I mean no offense to anyone who writes it with two 'l's (heck, the professionals at Disney spell it like that). This was more of my way of using the story itself to explain why I prefer to spell it like I do, as I'm sure some of you may have wondered.**


	6. Seis: Fue Todo Inocente

**Besar**

**By Jeune Ecrivain**

**Rating: T  
**

**Summary: Former one-shot extended due to good reviews. On the cusp of a relationship, Troy and Gabriela find something unexpected that they have in common and use it to further their fledgling singing careers. **

**WARNING: Major fluff!**

The first thing Troy noticed as he woke up the next morning was that the ceiling he was staring at wasn't his. He then noticed something tickling his chin. Tilting his head slightly, he found that it was Gabriela's hair. She was lying on top of him with her head resting on his chest and her right arm still draped loosely around his shoulders. He smiled warmly, silently wishing he had a camera to capture the serenity of Gabriela's sleeping form. A small but contented smile was plastered on her face, and she was curled up quite snugly against him in way that seemed so natural. He rubbed her back gently, taking comfort in her proximity. He felt no need to panic, since both his tactile and visual senses testified that both of them were still fully clothed. It crossed his mind that his parents might be concerned about his whereabouts or that Mrs. Montez could pop in and completely misinterpret the situation, but he couldn't bring himself to ruin the moment. He wanted it to linger as long as it could.

It didn't linger long, though. Gabriela stirred slightly and made the smallest of moans that somehow reminded Troy of a waking infant. He grinned, doing his best not to chuckle as Gabriela stirred once more and moved her hand slightly. Then, her eyes fluttered open. She furrowed her brow for a moment, puzzled by her position. Then, Troy could almost see the realization build within her as her brown eyes shifted upwards and met his own. She smiled gently. "Hey," she said softly.

"Morning," greeted Troy with a grin of his own.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of waking up with you right beside me?" asked Gabriela playfully.

"A late-night make-out session that turned into cuddling and then morphed into sleep," Troy answered matter-of-factly. "That's my diagnosis, anyway."

Gabriela pulled herself up to kiss him softly on the lips before placing her hand firmly on his chest and raising herself into a sitting position. "Falling asleep with a boy in my bed. Now there's something I didn't anticipate doing when I moved here."

Troy chuckled and propped himself up on his elbows. "Any regrets?"

She responded with a small smile and warmth dancing in her eyes. "None whatsoever."

"Me neither," Troy nodded. "Although, technically, there's not much to regret. We didn't exactly do anything that our parents would freak out about."

"Would you have regretted it if something like that had happened?" asked Gabriela, only half-serious.

Troy paused, feeling somewhat cornered by the question. It was a girl he was talking to, after all, and he wasn't sure how to respond. If he said yes, he might risk hurting her feelings. If he said no, he might risk sounding presumptuous. "Well, I certainly wouldn't have regretted my choice of partner," he said slowly, "but the timing would've been way off." He smiled, satisfied with his answer. "Someday, though, when we're both ready…" he trailed off, letting the rest go unspoken.

To his relief, Gabriela smiled and gave him a peck on the lips. "I like how you think, Bolton." She beamed at him, but her smile quickly faded. "Oh, my gosh! My mom!" She crawled quickly off the bed. "You and I both know nothing happened last night beyond some pretty serious kissing, but I don't know how easy it'll be to convince my mom of that if she catches you here!"

"Right," Troy realized, jumping out of Gabriela's bed. "Not just your mom," he added. "I should probably get home before my parents notice I'm not there."

"What time is it?" asked Gabriela, growing slightly worried.

Troy looked at his watch. "About 10."

Gabriela opened her door slightly to make sure her mother wasn't nearby. "Are you usually up by ten on the weekends?" she asked.

"Yeah, right!" Troy replied with a chortle.

"I'll take that as a no," said Gabriela as she took Troy's hand and opened her door again. "Anyway, the coast is clear. Let's go."

As silently as she could, Gabriela led Troy through the hallway and down the stairs, watching for signs of her mother all along. Just when she thought they were almost safe, her mother emerged from the kitchen just in time to spot the two teens. Troy and Gabriela froze.

"Mom!" said Gabriela like a deer in headlights.

"Mrs. Montez!" Troy said simultaneously and with a similar tone.

"Ah, you're up!" observed Mrs. Montez without a hint of shock, anger, or suspicion in her voice. "Good. I'd hate to eat the breakfast I made all by myself."

"Mom…" Gabriela said nervously as if asking her mother if she even saw Troy.

"Troy, I called your parents," said Gabriela's mother, unknowingly answering that question. "I told them you'd be spending the night. They expect you home by noon."

"Uh…thanks," said Troy cautiously, still as perplexed as Gabriela was.

"Wait, Mom…" Gabriela queried, "how did you know Troy was still here?"

Mrs. Montez smiled at them. "I came home and found the two of you cuddled up on your bed, sound asleep." She looked at Gabriela's face knowingly, amused at what her teenage daughter was obviously afraid of. "Seeing that you weren't at all undressed or anything, I actually just stood there stunned at the innocence of the whole thing. I couldn't bring myself to wake you both up and send Troy home, so I turned off the light, closed the door, and gave the Boltons a call." Her smile turned mischievous. "In fact, you two gave me the cutest way to test out my new digital camera I could've ever hoped for!"

"Mom, you didn't!" Gabriela exclaimed.

Mrs. Montez nodded. "This one's going in the scrapbook I've been keeping since you were a baby."

"You're still adding stuff to that thing!" said Gabriela incredulously.

"Of course!" replied Mrs. Montez.

Troy, who had been quite nervous just a few moments ago, now let out a soft chuckle. Gabriela turned around and slapped him playfully on the arm. "_¿De qué estás riéndote?_" ("What are you laughing at?") she challenged.

Troy shrugged. "_Tengo hambre_," ("I'm hungry.") he said with a grin as he hopped off the last step and joined Mrs. Montez in the kitchen.


	7. Siete: Mezcla Multilingue

**Besar**

**By Jeune Ecrivain**

**Rating: K+**

**Summary: Former one-shot extended due to good reviews. On the cusp of a relationship, Troy and Gabriela find something unexpected that they have in common and use it to further their fledgling singing careers. **

"You nervous?"

Troy turned to face Gabriela as they sat in the large auditorium of East High awaiting their turn on stage. He gave her a small smile. "A little. Are you?"  
"Yeah," admitted Gabriela. "I mean, I know we've performed in front of the entire basketball team, the entire decathlon team, and a bunch of cheerleaders, but this is different. This is the actual Drama Club. Or the officers of the Drama Club, anyway." She indicated the five people sitting at the front of the auditorium, including Mrs. Darbus and Sharpay. "But hey," she smiled. "I have it all worked out. Whenever I feel myself losing my nerve, I'll just focus on you. It worked before."

Troy chuckled. "I'll do the same with you if I start losing it, too."

Gabriela grinned and leaned in to kiss him, and their lips were a millimeter apart when a familiar voice yanked them out of their reverie. "Hey, cap'n," greeted Chad.

Gabriela groaned. Taylor, who had arrived just behind Chad in time to see what her two friends had been doing, smacked the back of his head. "You did it again!"

Troy stood up with a sarcastically gentle smile on his face and put his hands on Chad's shoulder. "Chad…" he said, looking his best friend in the eye and gently pushing him back a few feet, "…stand right there. Stay." He then left a confused Chad standing there while he turned back to Gabriela and reclaimed his seat. "Now where were we?"

Gabriela grinned. "Right here," she said leaning in and pausing with her lips just a hair's width away from his before kissing him warmly. Chad put his hands on his hips and rolled his eyes.

Troy winked at her before facing Chad again. "Now sit," he said, gesturing at the seat to his left. Chad smirked and did as he was told. "Good boy," Troy said as if training a dog, ruffling Chad's afro teasingly. Taylor, who had taken a seat to Gabriela's right, laughed at the way Troy had decided to make his point and high-fived him over Gabriela's head.

"What are you two doing here, anyway?" asked Troy, chuckling to himself.

"Didn't want to miss my best friend's big audition," answered Chad. "Not since I found out he was such an awesome singer."

"Ditto," Taylor piped in. "We thought you could use a little moral support, especially with Sharpay here."

"Thanks, guys," replied Gabriela.

"Anytime," Chad nodded. Troy glared at him, and he responded with a sheepish grin. "Okay, fine. Bad timing. I get it."

"Honestly, do you have some kind of radar that goes off whenever they're going to lock lips?" quipped Taylor.

"It's a total violation of the male code," added Troy. "Thou shalt not interrupt thy friend when he is about to get some action."

Chad was about to retort when Mrs. Darbus' voice resounded throughout the auditorium. "Next, Troy Bolton and Gabriela Montez!"

Gabriela bit her lip, and Troy took her hand as the two stood up. "Good luck," Chad and Taylor said almost simultaneously.

Gabriela mouthed a quick thanks before following Troy down to the front of the auditorium. The two prospective Drama Club members climbed onto the stage via a small wooden staircase. Kelsi greeted them as she sat at the piano with a genuine smile of appreciation before the two turned to face the club's officers. Sharpay shot them a confident smile, but neither Troy nor Gabriela was fazed. Troy cleared his throat. "Before we start, we should tell you that when Gabriela and I heard about the new rule about diction classes," he said, "we decided to be a little creative and kill two birds with one stone."

Gabriela then spoke. "We came up with a little something we like to call…a Multilingual Medley."

The Drama Club officers exchanged a few glances before nodding at them to proceed. Troy gave Kelsi his familiar "hit it" gesture with his finger, and soft chords promptly filled the auditorium. Troy removed the microphone in front of him from its holder as Gabriela did the same, and he began to sing.

_It's hard to believe_

_That I couldn't see_

_You were always there beside me._

Gabriela swallowed and sang her half of the familiar verse.

_Thought I was alone,_

_With no one to hold, _

_But you were always right beside me._

Then, just as they had a few nights ago, their voices blended together in a pleasant harmony.

_This feeling's like no other._

_I want you to know_

_That I've never had someone_

_That knows me like you do,_

_The way you do._

_And I've never had someone_

_As good for me as you,_

_No one like you._

_So lonely before, _

_I finally found_

_What I've been looking for._

Gabriela smiled contentedly at Troy as Kelsi played a brief instrumental interlude. She then brought the microphone to her lips and resumed singing.

_No puedo creer_

_Que no logré ver_

_Que estabas a mi lado._

Troy then raised the microphone and finished the translated verse.

_Pues mi soledad,_

_No era verdad._

_Siempre estabas a mi lado._

Their voices combined again for the translated chorus.

_¡Qué raro sentimiento!_

_Tú debes saber_

_Que como nadie más_

_Ya me conoces tú,_

_Y sólo tú,_

_Que como nadie más_

_Me reconfortas tú,_

_Y eres tú._

_Por fin sucedió._

_Sé que hoy hallé_

_Lo que buscaba yo._

After another instrumental interlude, Troy and Gabriela sung the chorus again, this time alternating between each other. As Troy carried the last note of each English line, Gabriela began singing the corresponding Spanish line, and Troy paused until she finished before beginning the next English line. (A/N: _Regular Italics_ Troy, _Underlined Italics_ Gabriela)

_This feeling's like no other!_

_¡Qué raro sentimiento!_

_I want you to know_

_Tú debes saber_

_That I've never had someone_

_Que como nadie más_

_That knows me like you do,_

_Ya me conoces tú,_

_The way you do,_

_Y sólo tú,_

_That I've never had someone_

_Que como nadie más_

_As good for me as you,_

_Me reconfortas tú,_

_No one like you._

_Y eres tú._

_So lonely before,_

_Por fin sucedió,_

_I finally found_

_Sé que hoy hallé_

_What I've been looking for._

_Lo que buscaba yo._

Gabriela let her voice fade out along with the accompanying music, and she and Troy found themselves looking at each other like they had after having sung "Breaking Free" at the callbacks. A ceremonious moment of silence followed.


	8. Ocho: Le Gusta Una CHICA!

**Besar**

**By Jeune Ecrivain**

**Rating: T  
**

**Summary: Former one-shot extended due to good reviews. On the cusp of a relationship, Troy and Gabriela find something unexpected that they have in common and use it to further their fledgling singing careers. (This chapter is probably the shortest one yet, but there's a nice twist in it that I think you'll like. I didn't even plan it. It just occurred to me as I was writing.) **

**A/N: I just recently found out that a Spanish-dubbed version of HSM was released in Latin America on August 6, but all the songs remained in English. A few days later, I discovered a Spanish-language adaptation of "What I've Been Looking For" that was included on the Latin American edition of the HSM soundtrack but not in the movie. So far, that's the only HSM song I know of that's been translated by the Disney pros. I'm hoping (probably quite naively) that I can somehow contact Disney and get them to at least look at my translations of "Breaking Free," "Start of Something New," and "We're All In This Together" (the last of which I just recently finished) and possibly accept them as the "official" translations. I signed up for MySpace because a friend revealed to me that several HSM stars can be accessed there. I'm hoping to find a back-door entrance through Zac or Ashley or Vanessa, since I don't think any letter I send directly to Disney has much chance of standing out amongst all the other fan mail they probably get.**

"Well, for starters, I simply must applaud your creativity," Mrs. Darbus began. "You've more then demonstrated your proficiency at performing, which is the key element we look for in Drama Club members." She paused. "Also, as you may or may not know, we now require applicants to have had at least one diction classes or demonstrate equivalent ability to sing in a foreign language." At this point, Troy and Gabriela were holding their breaths, but Darbus continued. "Seeing as you've done the latter quite adequately, with our officers' approval, I have no hesitation in welcoming you to the East High Drama Club."

Darbus glanced around the table. The Secretary was the first to speak up. "Indeed, they shall nourish the garden of our theatre so that it may bloom even more," she stated as if reciting Shakespeare.

The Treasurer was next. "I do believe that enlisting these two rich vessels of hitherto undiscovered talent will enrich our organization in ways both financial and artistic."

Troy leaned into Gabriela and whispered in her ear, "I like to perform, but if I ever start talking like I stepped out of an old-fashioned novel, please just shoot me right then and there." Gabriela giggled.

The Vice-President then spoke his mind. "I see no reason to turn them away. Their talent is undeniable."

"At least the VP seems to speak plain English," Gabriela observed quietly. She then grew anxious, as did Troy. It was now time for the two Co-Presidents to give their verdict. For once, Ryan and Sharpay wore markedly different expressions. Ryan looked thoughtful. Sharpay looked aloof…that is until Ryan opened his mouth. Almost as if on a whim, he smiled and said quite simply, "Welcome to the club. We'll be lucky to have you."

Sharpay's head turned with lightning speed to face her brother. "Ryan!" she said, looking shocked and betrayed.

Ryan's response was a gentle smile. "It's time to share the spotlight, sis," he said softly.

Sharpay let out two helpless huffs and one scoff before she stiffly excused herself and walked briskly out of the auditorium. Despite everything she'd done, Gabriela couldn't help but wonder if she'd truly hurt Sharpay. Strangely enough, Ryan was smiling to himself much like a little boy who'd succeeded at riding a bike for the first time.

"Well, it seems unanimity remains unprocured," observed Darbus, "but consensus is all we need. The Drama Club welcomes Troy Bolton and Gabriela Montez!"

Troy and Gabriela expressed sincere thanks before stepping off the stage. They were surprised to find Ryan rising from his seat and walking up to meet them. "Wow, that was liberating!" he said, looking bewildered.

Troy and Gabriela looked at him in puzzlement. "What are you talking about?" asked Troy.

"First off, I just want to thank you for completely disrupting the social hierarchy!" Ryan exclaimed.

"You're welcome,…I guess," replied a still-confused Gabriela.

"It's just that…I've gotten way too used to being in my sister's shadow. You know? I've been practically her puppet for years now. Don't get me wrong. I love performing and all, but she takes it way too seriously sometimes," the not-so-icy Evans twin explained. "But you two inspired me. You two were brave enough to try something new and follow your gut. The only thing I've followed for a long time has been Sharpay's orders. I love my sister, but I'm my own person, and it's time I started acting like it!"

Troy was simultaneously pleased to have been such a big help and quite amused at Ryan's outburst, and Gabriela was beaming. Before either could respond, however, Ryan pushed past them with a quick "Excuse me" and walked up on stage. Kelsi, who had frozen in the midst of gathering up her sheet music in order to listen to Ryan's speech, stared at him as he approached her at a brisk gate. "Kelsi," he almost shouted, "I should've told you a long time ago that I think what you do is really amazing. Acting and singing what other people have written is one thing, but to actually come up with this stuff from scratch, now that's talent!"

"Um…thanks," replied Kelsi as she began to blush.

"Troy and Gabriela decided to kill two birds with one stone with their audition today," Ryan continued. "Well, it's my turn to do that." With each word, he stepped closer and closer to the shy musician. "I'm going to do something I've wanted to do for a long time, and as an added bonus, I'm going to set the record straight about my…orientation." With that, he silenced any response Kelsi might have had on the tip of her tongue with his lips, kissing her firmly on the mouth for all too see.

"Whoah!" said Troy as Gabriela gasped.

"Did he really just do that?" rang out Taylor's voice from her seat towards the back of the auditorium, her eyes as big as saucers.

"Awww," cooed the Secretary and Treasurer of the Drama Club.

"Ryan likes Kelsi?" Troy marveled.

"Evans likes GIRLS?" Chad marveled more loudly.

After a moment, Ryan and Kelsi separated, both looking dazed. Kelsi proceeded to turn virtually every shade of red imaginable as she fumbled furiously. "Ryan…I…uh…wow…I…er…" She finally managed to utter a coherent but very shaky, "I need to get ready for the next audition." She gathered up the last of her sheet music, let out a heavy sigh, and disappeared backstage.

Ryan was blushing profusely himself. The spell of his epiphany had apparently been broken, and his normal self-consciousness returned. Yet he regretted nothing as he turned and walked off the stage, a contented smile playing at his lips.


End file.
